Page 97 of Settle Down, Princess

By the look of the chaos on the field, the others were having similar luck. I grinned as I put on speed, the burn in my muscles letting me know I was running through reserves it’d take some time to replace, but I couldn’t worry about that now. A pack seemed to have caught onto my plan, or was just heaving with all of that repressed need for their mate—a feeling that had a twin in my own heart. They staggered into my path, a wall of muscular flesh, determined that I would not pass. Just an obstacle, I told myself over and over, just another fucking obstacle. A different pack came blundering towards them, thinking their posturing was a threat to them, not me, and that’s when inspiration struck.

“Use the terrain to your advantage,” my father had told me.

I was all of seven at the time, facing down an obstacle course that most men outside of the Guild would’ve quailed at trying to traverse, but I was too young to know any better. I trusted the bastard, assuming my beloved father would never allow me to come to harm.

No permanent harm, I quickly learned.

Fall after fall and a few broken bones had taught me well. I could adapt at a moment's notice, so I shifted direction, the back of one of the wolf shifters in front of me my new target. Their snarls and growls made clear only an idiot would ignore their warning. No one had ever accused me of having the sense the gods gave a cat, but the reflexes of one? I threw myself upward, using the wolf shifter’s back, then his shoulders, as a ramp to launch myself into the air. As claws grabbed for my ankles, I leapt forward.

Flying through the fucking air, I knew then I’d sell my soul for the opportunity to feel this sensation regularly. Gravity had no hold on me, neither did the earth. I went sailing over the mass of them, seeing the bloody battle being fought before me like a bird might. But I had no wings, so I was brought back down to earth literally, my body curling into a loose ball and letting my joints go lax, even as I wanted to brace myself against the impact.

Fuck…

Air still got driven out of my lungs, forcing me to suck it back in again as I clambered to my feet. The sound of the crowd going out of their minds buoyed me up, even as I wavered. My heart was beating too fast, the adrenaline burning like acid, eating everything up in its path. The heated feeling reminded me I only had so much energy left. Yet more wolf shifters spun around to take me in, their narrowed eyes making clear what they thought of me. I dragged my fingers through the oil remaining on my skin, coating my palms in it as I faced them down.

“Come on…” I muttered, watching their fangs flash as they snarled. “Come on…”

I gestured them closer, ready to try and fight the lot of them, dimly aware that this was not sensible, when I caught a flash of colour in the corner of my eye. Why that blue? Why did that catch my attention when everything else was competing for it? Because it was the same pale blue of the dress Jessalyn was wearing when she was brought here unconscious.

Identify the target and then do whatever it takes to take possession of it, that summarised neatly the main thrust of all my father’s teachings, and right now it felt good to remember them. I grinned, baring my own blunt teeth as I launched myself forward, slamming my hand into the face of the nearest shifter, then the next, hearing their howls even as their claws raked my flesh.

It made sense that I was hurting, that I could feel blood slide over my skin as I dodged enemies and struck them in the most sensitive areas. I had a whole lot of suffering ahead of me to make up for the pain that I’d caused Jessalyn. But I’d suffer every blow, over and over again, until she was gasping and so was I, and then… Then maybe she’d decide she was ready to love me as I was ready to do her.

Chapter 56

Creed

Her scent was what dragged me forward.

I dodged other packs, some filled with males I’d known all my life, but in this moment, there was no recognition in their eyes. All they saw were potential threats or nothing at all. I shied away as soon as I got within their proximity, the submissive body language tricking their senses into seeking more dominant opponents while I searched. But right as I began to despair of ever finding our flag in the chaos, I caught it. A delicate, floral scent, like a wall of jasmine blooming in the moonlight. It grabbed me by the throat and hauled me closer.

Other males didn’t matter. I ignored their growled threats, the need that burned inside me not allowing me to even acknowledge them as I passed. Just her. Every step I took it was closer to Jessalyn, and right now it meant that flag, so that’s what I focused on. The wolf shifted, lending me his strength, the space between me and the buried flag becoming nothing. I followed the scent with all the single-minded focus the wolf used to bring down prey.

Only to find others had done the same.

The elders often buried the flags in groups. The point of this was to prove our worth, both to our mate and to the entire community. By testing each other during the melee, we got to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

None of that mattered now.

They were near her flag. They were going to take her away from me. The wolf fought me for control because he knew. Their blood in his mouth, their flesh between his teeth, that was the only fitting way to deal with this threat. Of the same mind, a roar built in my throat, growing and growing as I sprinted at full pelt, only to be exhaled in a sound that seemed to rock the entire arena.

They were a young pack, these males. They skittered back like pups as I partially shifted. My skin itched like crazy as the wolf fought me for control. He knew what to do. He would bring these younglings to heel and then turn his attention to the others. All would fall before his claws as he cut a bloody swathe…

My heart raced too fast inside my chest as I struggled to stay in control. I couldn’t let the wolf out, I couldn’t. No matter what I thought, I found myself growing until I towered over the lot of them. One shook his head, trying to dismiss my obvious dominance over him, rising up with a snarl, but I managed to queer the wolf’s aim as my claws thrust into the ground, not him, jerking away all three of the flags and then shoving one to my nose.

She always smelled so bloody good. Like the sweet breeze on your face during the early summer. Like the flowers that grew in my mother’s garden. Like home. The pack dared to dart forward, seeking to snatch their flag from my grip, but I answered that the only way I could, crushing their dreams completely. Their flag and another fell to the ground in tatters.

“The Gorge and Jain packs are out!”

Wren’s voice cut through the haze, commanding the unworthy off the field. I watched them go with satisfaction, right up until they joined me.

“You found it…”

I didn’t like the look in Arik’s eyes. The wolf decided there wasn’t nearly enough reverence there, but before I could take him to task, I identified we had bigger problems. We’d destroyed a bunch of flags, dismissing many of the packs, but there were still a few contenders left. I didn’t see them as familiar faces or strangers. I didn’t even see them as fellow shifters. They were mere obstacles in my way. As I sucked in breath after breath of Jessalyn’s scent, all I could think of was her.

Her hurt. Her betrayal. Her duplicity, but that was brought on by our negligence. My grandmother was right. I’d forgotten the wisdom of my ancestors, brought shame to my pack. The moment I held Jessalyn in my arms, I should’ve fell to my knees and promised I’d slay anyone who dared get in her way.

Even Arik.

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